Ruins of an American hospital from the First World War were found in France (6 photos)

Archaeologists have discovered the ruins of an American military hospital in the town of Ganierie-du-Tertre, located in the commune of Savenet in northwestern France. As explained by experts from the National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research (INRAP), the medical facility was built so that Americans would no longer have to rely on French hospitals.





"Several hundred hospitals were built throughout the country - from simple field hospitals to huge institutions capable of receiving up to 25,000 wounded and sick."

Hospitals were strategically located near the ports of Nantes and Saint-Nazaire, close to the main railway lines.

The first Sammy, or American soldiers, arrived in France in June 1917.



Photos released by INRAP show the finds: medical bottles, combs, buttons and even a smoking pipe.

A medical clip, a razor, a watch case, cups, and a pair of shoes were also found.





The site was divided into two parts. One was a fenced area built to protect the hospital. Another consisted of 20 pits containing both construction waste and artifacts.





Archaeologists have found parts of the water supply network that supplied clean water.

INRAP explained that American hospital complexes functioned as “autonomous cities” with their own sewer system, and sometimes their own railway connections.



High school students were invited to the excavation site to introduce them to preventative archaeology.

According to representatives of the organization, archaeological excavations open up “prospects for research.” An exhibition dedicated to the project will open this week.